Flight for Freedom
by willy-the-elder
Summary: Lurking in the shadows, a new threat for the Big Hero 6 emerges, a threat that targets not only the city, but the heroes themselves. Thinking on your feet is the name of the game when the Fujitas always seem to be one step ahead. (Tadashi Lives/ Armour!Dashi AU)
1. Happenings

_**Big Hero 6: Flight for Freedom**_

 _Chapter 1: Happenings_

* * *

 _'I_ _t's been such a long time coming  
_ _I thought you'd understand_  
 _I'm so far ahead of the lines_  
 _You've be drawing in the sand'_

 _Pendulum - 'Showdown' (2008)_

* * *

Buildings huddled in the cold winter night, their windows blinking and twinkling warmly, glass structures stretching high into the dark, overcast sky. Dancing around them, the little buoyant turbine blimps dipped and dived in the chill wind, bringing the painted fish on their bodies to life in bright, neon-lit glory. The choppy waters of San Fransokyo's Golden Gate leapt and jumped at the feet of the huge, iron bridge, a heavy fog swirling in from the Pacific beyond. Sleet threatened from the bellies of the heavy, black clouds.

The icy, rushing wind carried the sounds of scuffling and shouting far from their sources, hidden deep in the city's back streets. The echoing of hurried, splashing footsteps galloped up the unforgiving, windowless sides of the more squat, dirty, concrete structures, fire escapes grasping out at two hooded figures as they sprinted by, their ill-gotten gains held tightly under their black jackets.

The duo cast frantic glances back over their shoulders, sure that they'd thrown those so-called superheroes off their tails. Needless to say, they were wrong.

A figure clad in cherry-red armour dropped from the sky before them, slamming into the concrete and sending them skidding to a halt before him. The wings on his back snapped in and folded, the jet thrusters on his back and boots humming quietly to a halt as he rose to his full, imposing height and lifted an arm, fist pointed straight at them, dangerous, threatening.

"This doesn't have to hurt," He told them sternly, his voice deep, silky. The thieves, however, backed away, clutching their loot tightly against their bodies.

"Back off, Red. Y'ain't gonna hurt us," one man growled.

Red shrugged. "I don't want to, but I will."

The other hooded figure looked to her partner and pulled a face. "C'mon, Mac, he got us. We can't do nothin' now."

She let the stolen goods fall from underneath her jacket, lifting her hands above her head and beckoning for her friend, Mac, to do the same. Behind them, appearing as the man followed in his companion's example, the rest of the Big Hero 6 appeared, halting one by one from their frantic sprint through the alleys, passing triumphant looks between one another.

Suddenly, like a silent message had passed between the pair, the two criminals abandoned the dumped goods and fled like rabbits, bolting as if they'd been burned down a narrow side street. Their laughter and footsteps carried away into the night air around them.

Red growled with fury, then turned to his team. "Blaize-"

"You got it." The girl in yellow nodded before her teammate even had to ask. She jumped forwards, slamming the rims of her disc-skates into the concrete and forcing herself into motion. Blaize glided around the corner, already gaining speed, the straight alley beyond giving her ample opportunity to increase it further.

The wheels the young woman used looked impossible - they were held to her long boots with nothing more than the power of electromagnetism, the lack of a physical connection reducing resistance and allowing for more speed. Reaching down, she pulled another, smaller disc from the body of her skate wheel, hurling it with almighty force at the two escaping thieves and slamming one of them hard into the ground. The red glow of the disc rim came flying back towards her, and the hero raised her hand up to it, catching it with the same magnetic field as with those on her boots.

Undeterred as his companion crashed into the concrete behind him, Mac continued his bid for freedom, hoping that if he ran far enough, the Big Hero 6 might well just give up. He held on to this hope right up until Red dropped from the sky in front of him again, lifted his fist just like before and, just as he'd warned, the young man fired his weapon.

A net burst forth from a tube slot on the hero's wrist, unfolding as it was catapulted through the air and wrapping itself tightly around the villain he was attempting to capture. The force of the blow as the hard fibres hit him, however, threw Mac several feet backwards into a heap on the floor.

Red winced instinctively, lifting his hand to his helmet and pressing his microphone closer to his mouth. "Uh, Glitch? A little too much power on the net cannon, I think," He muttered into the microphone.

"Yeah, I'll get on that," a young voice replied sheepishly. The tiny indigo figure seemed to have anticipated the slight technological malfunction.

As the tall young superhero towered over him, Mac bared his teeth, almost trying to shake him off as Red leaned down and hauled him to his feet.

"Got anything to say for yourself?" The red hero asked as he unwound the net from the captured thief.

"I ain't got nothin' t' say t' you, kid," Mac replied, his voice a low growl. It was obvious the man was hurting, red wheals and bruises blooming under his skin.

"Huh," Red sniffed, almost disappointed, wrapping his arm around the older man's shoulder as they began to walk towards the main road. "That's a shame. I coulda got you a soda or something."

"Red, we've got a problem," a voice buzzed in his ear nervously.

"Chem? What's going on?" Red's brows knitted anxiously as he halted to listen in. Mac wore an unreadable expression as he watched on.

"You... might wanna see this," the chemist replied.

Blaize widened her stance instinctively as the shadows around her began to move. She shot a nervous glance behind her, to the mouth of the alleyway where Red had frozen, his captured criminal still in his grasp, then rolled slowly backwards.

"Red..." She called warningly, heart fluttering in her chest.

"Look, the cops can't be far behind us. Let's get these two out where they can be picked up and then we can sort out whatever's got Chem worried."

Blaize growled, keeping her eyes nervously on the shadows. She was lucky that her catch was out cold on the floor at her feet: She had a feeling they'd need to move quickly. "Red!"

"I know, I know, just gimme a sec," He muttered, snapping handcuffs onto Mac's wrists and pushing him closer to the friendly glow of the street lamps beyond the alley entrance. He wasn't getting it.

"You don't have a sec!" Blaize snarled furiously, completely in awe of how oblivious her friend could be

Finally, Red turned, and he started as he saw what exactly had startled his teammate.

Already, faces were looming towards her from the gloom, female faces heavy with dark makeup and tattoos, framed with messy hair died bright, vibrant colours and highlighted with black. Only one Fujita rolled out into the light, a tall, muscular woman with a collar of tribal patterns reaching up her throat and behind her ears. The clothes she wore were tattered and torn, roller skates scratched and scuffed by years of use. She lifted a clawed hand to the earpiece she wore, pressing it in as she spoke in a deadly growl.

"We found 'im, boss."

A few seconds of stalemate passed between the two girls as the Fujita listened to her instructions, her mouth curling into such a viciously cruel grin that a stone settled in the stomachs of the two heroes she faced.

"The boss wants to speak with you," The woman smirked, flashing her teeth at Red in a grin devoid of all humour. "We can escort you, if you like,"

The man was about to reply when, once again, Chem's fearful voice chirped through his mic. "Red, we need your help!"

"I'm kinda busy," He replied shortly, torn between the situations. "What's going on?"

"It's your brother..."

Red's heart stopped. _Glitch._ There was no way he was going to just sit here while his brother was in trouble. The Fujita shifted her weight to one hip, still waiting on his answer. Thoughtfully, the leader chewed over his words, before he curtly replied, "What's to stop us just running away? You can't catch us."

The woman shrugged as Blaize turned to stare incredulously. "Hm, guess you got me there."

Red frowned. It seemed too easy. Not that he was about to question it. "Let's go," He muttered, turning his shoulder to the band of bristling girls.

The woman in yellow shook her head knowingly, then straightened up, firing a quick, two-fingered salute in the direction of the small band of Fujitas as she blew a sickly pink gum bubble and burst it with her teeth.

"Catch you later," She nodded, spinning on her wheel rims and following as Red's boots fired once again into life.

"Sooner than you think," Came the reply, and the hero couldn't help but notice the nasty smirk that lingered on the woman's face. As much as she didn't want to, she had to ignore it; Glitch was much more important now than some cryptic threat.

Red wasted no time thundering down the street, past where the two thieves were slumped against each other, awaiting the police, and back to where the rest of the team had remained. But as he skidded to a halt, Blaize frozen beside him at the head of the alleyway, the taunts of the lone Fujita woman became all too real.

Their other three teammates were surrounded by a hoarde of skater girls, all brandishing their assortment of deadly weapons and taunting the superheroes. There must have been about twenty or more. And there, at the head of the group, their sixth, smallest member was dangling, helpless, from the grip of possibly the tallest woman Red had ever seen. Glitch's legs thrashed vehemently as he struggled to try to free himself, a fierce snarl twisting his young features beneath his indigo helmet. Red was suddenly hit by the stupidity of letting his fifteen-year-old kid brother onto the team, as useful as he could be.

He went to take a step forward, but a quick hand clasped around his upper arm stopped him momentarily.

"Don't do anything stupid," Blaize warned him, her eyes betraying the nerves she wouldn't show.

Red turned back with a sharp nod and met the waiting gaze of the tallest Fujita, who smirked as he strolled forwards through the gap her followers made through their midst, raising his gloved hands slowly above his head. He didn't even look at his little brother as the boy tried to give him a sheepish wave and crooked, gap-toothed grin, kept his eyes solely on the woman sneering before him.

"Well, you got us. Good job," The young hero's face was blank, his eyes like stone. "So now what?"

"Now? Now, you're coming with us," the leading lady smirked, the piercings along her eyebrow twitching with triumph. Red let his hands fall against the top of his helmet.

Glitch took the opportunity to kick out once again, his steel-capped toe connecting somewhere in the region of the woman's ribs. She gave a snort of anger, and the girl beside her raised a warning finger, the pink-and-blue updo atop her head quivering with suppressed anger.

"Oi! You do that again n' I'll break your ankle!" The girl couldn't have been much older than Glitch herself, but her voice already sounded hoarse and laced with the clagging smoke of cigarettes. The boy raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Easy, Neko. The kid knows the deal," Her boss murmured, silencing the younger girl.

Red cast a glance between them, then back at his team. Chem gave a nod so small it was almost unnoticeable. "So," the team leader began loudly, "You obviously know who we are, but I don't think we've had the pleasure..."

The tall woman gave a sickly grin. "I'm Suki, and these are my Fujitas, the fastest, baddest girls on the block. In the whole city, in fact."

"The bes' criminals on two skates," Neko added proudly. Her leader nodded.

"Well then, Suki, I must ask you to let go of my teammate." Red spoke so smoothly and calmly, smiling with every word, as though he'd done this all before. "Whatever he's done to offend you, I'm sure we can talk it out like civilized people."

"I've got a better idea," The woman countered viciously. "How 'bout we fight it out instead?"

The hero widened his stance instinctively, heart skipping a beat as the Fujita's grin turned to a leer. "What, you and all your friends against the six of us? Seems a little unfair to me."

Suki stroked her broad chin with short, malicious fingers, the joints of which were clad in garish, antique brass knuckledusters. Her pierced, painted eyebrow rose above her narrowed, accusing eyes. For a second, Red was convinced she was actually thinking about it.

"Well, you want your little squirt back, you'll have to fight me for him. Team on team, or one on one. Your choice."

Glitch baulked at his brother's thoughtful look, thrashing again, but to no avail. "Red, no! Don't be an idiot!"

The older boy blocked him out completely, staring his foe right between the eyes. "One on one? Sounds good to me."

The youngest boy's hand met his helmet visor with a despairing clunk.

* * *

 _The wait is over. It's finally here! The story was planned to the album 'In Silico' by Pendulum, and if you don't know it already, you're really missing out. It's old, but it's great! Also, don't forget to review, I really appreciate it, and spread the word! There's a new story on the block!_


	2. The Chase

_**Big Hero 6: Flight for Freedom**_

 _Chapter 2: The Chase_

* * *

 _'This is the calm before the storm  
One last siege to break the norm  
So I can lie here on the floor, beside you'_

 _Enter Shikari – 'Destabilise' (2010)_

* * *

The horde of girls around them bristled, pushing against each other in anticipation of the fight. Their chattering and nudging was deafening, the tension crackling like static in the thick atmosphere. As the bodies pressed in around him, Red tucked his fingers into fists, pushing a steadying foot out behind him. The expression on his face was set like stone.

"Let my brother go and you'll have your fight," He told Suki, his voice low, controlled.

The tall fujita woman seemed to consider this thoughtfully for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders non-committally. "S'pose I can't fight like this anyway."

Red finally locked eyes with his little brother, looking at Glitch properly for the first time that night, marking the fear draining slowly from his eyes, replaced with a flicker of amusement as the message passed from one hero to the other. The younger boy flexed his fingers, blinking slowly, a thick, black eyebrow rising in anticipation.

As soon as Glitch felt the grip on his scruff loosen, his muscles grew taught beneath the protective indigo plates of his armour. One hand flew to the other cuff, to the controls nestled at his wrist: before Suki could reconsider, the boy's feet had already touched the ground. He had already pressed the sequence on his control pad. His rocket boots had already fired, propelling him into the air in a wide arc that ended with the boy tucking and rolling out of the movement at his brother's heels.

"Oi! You're not going anywhere!" The Fujita leader howled with rage.

"No," Red smirked now that his sibling was out of danger, raising a weaponised fist, "but you are."

The older boy fired the air-cannon from his glove, watching as it threw Suki several feet back down the alleyway. Her flailing body came to an abrupt halt against a gathering of aluminium rubbish bins, crumpling them like paper. The crash echoed, galloping up the concrete sides of the buildings that hung over them.

Before the horde of skater-girls had a chance to recover from their shock, the red hero span on his heels, sweeping his other arm over his younger sibling's head and firing a second blast of air that smashed them off their skates, flattening them against the cold, wet ground and slimy walls. Glitch cast a glance back, to where Suki was painfully regaining her feet and before her, only a few meters from the hero himself, a look of bloody murder crossed the young face of the girl the leader called Neko.

"Move! Everyone move!" The roar of Blaize's voice was unmistakable as she heaved her friends up from their crouched positions, snatching Sabi's wrist to pull him upright as Zilla and Chem raced past her. She looked back to the other two, but already, skater girls were pressing in around them, leaping up from where they had fallen, brandishing a cruel assortment of weaponry.

"Guys, smokescreen!" Red barked down the microphone, stepping back, his hand brushing Glitch's arm as though about to pull the boy back along with him.

His team responded immediately. He heard the tinny chirp of the screen on Chem's purse as her fingers flew across the periodic table lit on the touchscreen beneath them. The mechanism inside the bag whirred, and a handful of tennis-ball-shaped charges popped from the rear into her waiting hand. With a cry, she flung them up into the air, watching with wide eyes as her teammate leapt high on spring-loaded boots, streaming fire from the mouth of his blue kaiju armour. Zilla cheered as the chem-balls ignited, the light of his dying flame glinting off the three huge, yellow painted eyes set into the blue of his reptilian suit. A surprising amount of chemical smoke billowed out from the epicentre and encased the gathering, making it impossible to see.

With the distraction in place, Red reached out and grabbed the smaller boy around the wrist, tugging Glitch along as he bent his head into a desperate sprint, through the blinding grey-blue mist, tendrils snaking around the shadow figures that struggled to attack. As he neared a lighter patch he assumed was the street, his grip on Glitch's wrist slipped, but he paid it no heed, assuming his sibling would just continue to follow on.

It came as a surprise, then, that as he broke through the cover of fog and onto the open street, Red looked back to find that his brother was no longer following him.

* * *

Glitch crashed to the ground, having made contact with the immovable wall of a Fujita's body just as Red disappeared beyond his line of sight. The skater girl span around on her wheels, a cruel smirk twisting her hog-like nose as she loomed above the fallen boy, the heavy metal crow-bar leaping eagerly in her scum-coated palm. The hero scooted backwards on his backside, trying desperately to gain enough purchase on the slimy concrete to push himself upright again.

Around him, the smoke was becoming denser than ever, making it hard for him to evaluate whether or not the girl wore armour under her tattered clothes, whether his electro-mag gloves would work on her. The crow-bar rose. No time to think about that.

As the Fujita took an almighty swing, Glitch's hand flew up to guard his face, arm straight, the red palm of his glove outstretched. The next moment, the metal bar went flying over his attacker's head. While his startled assailant stared about in confusion, the boy genius hurriedly took his leave.

Smoke billowed from the end of the alleyway in gushing curtains, filling the street beyond and making it impossible to see anything beyond it. This fact, however, did not keep Red from bobbing up and down, eyes scanning the greyness for any sign of the brother he lost. The only thing stopping him from darting back in was the warning look in Sabi's eyes as he hovered nearby, arms folded across his chest, yet ready at a moment's notice to turn and run.

The clatter of a heavy metal object preceded the figure that darted out of the smoke, a thin tail of vapour clinging to his wake. Glitch skidded sideways as he took the corner too fast, putting a hand out to balance himself, letting the fingers of his glove glide across the warm tarmac. Managing to regain himself, the boy sprinted towards them, gesturing madly, his eyes wild. Vapour wasn't the only thing on his tail.

"Let's move!" Red waved an arm to his team, following on as Glitch passed, trying not to think about the crowd of girls growing bigger every second behind them, clamouring for the thrill of the chase.

"Split up!" Glitch's breathless voice barked over the intercom. "Confuse them! Thin them out!" The team nodded their accord, Red jerking a thumb towards himself for Sabi and Blaize to follow him down a left turn. Chem and Zilla continued ahead, the smaller boy leading them forward.

"Head for the SFPDC. We'll regroup there and make a plan of attack." The red-armoured leader commanded, his wings snapping out from his back as he took a flying leap into the air. His two teammates took opposite turns below him. A block away already, Chem dived down a narrow alleyway, her kaiju-clad companion bounced onwards, straight ahead, his spring-loaded boots propelling him along at surprising speed. Glitch's hand flew once again to the control pad on his wrist, his rocket boots boosting him up onto a metal fire escape, the steps of which he continued to take two at a time, ever upwards towards the San Fransokyo skyline.

* * *

On reaching the top, Glitch took a moment to glance around him and try to control his wheezing, the icy November wind slipping through the gaps in his armour and chilling him to the core. Before him lay a roof garden, exotic leaves fluttering and shimmering in the neon night, that same light that glinted from his little clouds of breath. There were no flowers at this late time of year, but the beds were still lush with evergreens and succulents.

The boy looked back over his shoulder, down the fire escape. There were no frantic, crashing footsteps following him, no shouts and commands. No-one had followed him up here. Glitch let out a breathy sigh of relief, turning to the path before him, striding out between the lush stems, towards a bridge that led across the void between the apartment block and its twin. Standing fifty metres away from one another, the two buildings' sides were sheer, the only windows on the side the boy could see being those that followed the trail of the staircases.

Catching the roar of rocket thrusters as he crossed the bridge, he froze, listening in. He even noted to himself that his brother's rockets didn't sound quite right and that he should have a look at them. It came as a surprise, then, that as he turned to hail Red, he was in fact greeted by the cruelly grinning features of a certain Fujita, just landing behind him. The boy recoiled.

The small figure crossed his path, pink and blue bubblegum hair gathered atop her head in two birds-nest pig-tails, chewing the end of what looked like a lollipop stick. When she spat it out, a practised movement, she turned to him with a playful (yet oddly unnerving) grin, displaying rows of sharp, yellowed teeth. One of her lateral incisors was missing, he noticed: top right.

"You!" He barked, looking the girl up and down. "How did you get that technology?"

"Ah, please!" Neko snorted, "I bough' 'em. Proper rocket boots're so cheap these days." There it was again, that husky growl too mature for a girl her age. Glitch wrinkled his nose, a growl of annoyance worming its way from his throat. "Ya can' get away from us. None've you can," she continued mockingly.

Glitch gave his signature snide smirk, clicking his tongue in mockery. "Watch us," The boy replied.

Neko sneered, painted lips pulling back further. "We can. Everywhere. We can find out 'oo you are."

"I highly doubt it."

"Watch us."

Glitch frowned as Neko flashed her teeth once again. "What do you want?" He scowled, his words suddenly cold and unfriendly.

"You're a genius: work it ou'." Neko licked her blood-red lips.

The boy genius stroked the chin of his helmet, his eyes narrowing as he observed her once again, his gaze washing over her, from her heavy, wheeled rocket boots, up her tattered and torn green leggings and stained, faded tutu. Her thin fingers clawed at nothingness from the warm confines of a pair of long fingerless gloves. An ammo belt was slung loosely from her hips, filled not with red cartridges, but with curious vials of clear liquid. The boy genius swallowed, meeting her wild brown eyes once again.

"What's in the bag?" He asked, hoping she wouldn't notice the way he nervously took just half a step back.

"A few friends. Wanna meet 'em?" Neko's smirk grew into a dangerous grin, made all the more intimidating by the black make-up caked around her eyes like war paint. She slid her shoulder strap down her arm, depositing the scrappy backpack on the gravelly path in front of her feet. By the way the material bulged and pulsed, scraped at from the inside, Glitch knew it couldn't be good.

"N-No, I think they'll be fine where they are..." _I'm panicking. Oh god, look at me, I'm panicking, and she knows it._ The young hero bit his tongue, fixing a jovial smile on his face as he struggled to stay in control of the situation.

"Ah, but they was _really_ lookin' forward to it..."

The boy's gaze flickered around him, searching for an escape route, hopeful. Neko sneered, pulling from her pocket a compact electronic cigarette, clasping it between her yellowed teeth as she snatched a remote control panel from her belt. Stepping back, Glitch eyed the girl suspiciously.

"No need to panic, kid," Neko scoffed, taking a long drag and letting the vapour rush from her nose, "It'll all be over very quick..."

* * *

 _Hint: The song quotes are both recommending a song to listen to while reading (the one I listened to while writing or planning, usually) and also are usually (when possible) relevant to the chapter and what might happen next... hint hint..._

 _By the way, unless you'd realised, Neko's is a cockney accent. I've even done a bit of research into it. 'pparently, my muvva 'ad a bi'avan accent b'fore she came dahn 'ere t' live wiv me Dad..._

 _REVIEWS:_

 _shooting2stars: Thank you! Don't worry, it's not like I'm gonna stop after one chapter! I'll be uploading weekly as my schedule allows._


	3. At Odds

_**Flight for Freedom**_

 _Chapter 3: At Odds_

* * *

 _'We are going to a different place,  
We're taking everything we can,  
There's no expression left upon our face,  
'Cause time is running out so fast,  
We're sinking in the sand.'_

 _Pendulum – Different (2008)_

* * *

Glitch didn't waste any more time, turning on his heel and sprinting away from his assailant. His legs carried him towards the bridge, faster than lightning, his jaw clenched. If he could only get across, he was sure he could escape. The boy could hear the click of her nails on the touchpad, the whirring as the machines inside her backpack came to life. He listened to the clattering of metal legs behind him, at his heels, under his feet.

Spider-like bodies glowed in the moonlight, long legs carrying the robots in a frenzied chase. Glitch tried to push himself to run faster, but had nothing more to give. They were on the bridge before he could take his flying leap up the steps, spreading before him, a hoard of about 6, each the size of his foot. He watched helplessly as they halted, pressing their bulbous red bodies into the hard concrete. An internal red light flashed within each, and with a sinking feeling, Glitch realised he knew exactly what that meant.

Thirty feet to go. Twenty. A fog was clouding the teen's visor, blurring his vision. A tinny bleeping echoed from somewhere around him, and for a split second, the spider-bots' lights went out. For a brief moment, the boy could entertain the fleeting idea that he was safe. And then, with a juddering motion that threw him to the ground and made his heart stutter, each of the robots expelled their explosive charges.

The boy genius pushed himself up, ears ringing painfully, staring with terror at the cracks forming beneath his fingers. The damaged bridge gave a pitiful moan, twisting as it began to sag under its own ruined weight. Chunks of stone were already coming away and dropping into the endless void below. Glitch pushed himself back onto his feet, making a dash for the safety of the second building, tripping and stumbling as the ground disintegrated beneath his very feet.

With a final, defeated sigh, the walkway finally gave in, the explosion tearing it in two. The halves of stone folded in upon themselves, and the adolescent quickly found himself clambering up an ever-increasing incline. Dust and rubble filled the air. He reached the end, but it had already come away from the sheer side of the building.

Desperately, he leapt upwards, using his boots to give him a boost. Reached out for a hand hold. Found it. Clinging to the concrete edge, trying to pull himself up, his legs kicked out beneath him. Just one grip: That was all he needed; but his gloves were already slipping, sliding, losing purchase.

Gritted teeth. Bloody lip. The boy reached out again.

Fingers cramping. Lungs gasping. It wasn't enough. He slid back.

Gloves slipped. Rushing concrete. Falling.

Crying out, eyes clenched shut.

Falling.

Wind rushing, legs kicking.

Falling...

"Oof!" His eyes flashed open as strong arms closed around him, tight around his middle. The ground rushed away as he watched it, carried by the familiar roar of rocket thrusters.

"You really need a gliding mechanism, little brother," Came the soothing, jovial voice through the headset. Reaching the apex of the ascent, Red came to a hover. When his sibling didn't reply, the hero turned his head to try to catch a glimpse of the boy's face. "Hey, you okay back there?" Glitch nodded shakily, not entirely certain he could trust his voice. He bit down on his split lip to stop it trembling.

Red turned his gaze to the girl on the edge of the roof, calmly lifting her bag onto her shoulder and turning her back to the destruction she had caused. His nose wrinkled in disgust. That Fujita had almost killed his little brother.

"W-We need to regroup; plan a strategy." Glitch managed to stammer, gulping down a lungful of air to calm himself. His elder cast him a questioning glance. "SFPD can help us, right?"

Red gave a short nod, understanding, angling himself as his thrusters boosted again, carrying himself and Glitch away through the dark, neon sky, the younger boy sending a signal to regroup as they flew.

* * *

"Can you walk?"

"Duh. I've got legs, haven't I?" Glitch rolled his eyes as his brother lowered him onto the ground.

"So have I," The older man dead-panned, eyebrows knotting. Suddenly, the teen looked a little sheepish, his eyes trailing anywhere around the gloomy, damp brick alleyway that could keep him from meeting that accusatory gaze.

"Right, sorry..."

The shadows moved, twisting to create the form of Blaize, striding towards them purposefully. The small woman was followed by the impossibly tall figure of Chem, pink helmet flashing too and fro nervously. The leader greeted them with a nod, turning on his heel to find the other two team members appearing from the neon street.

"Good; we've got everyone."

"So what's the deal?" Blaize snapped, straight to the point. "One minute, we're splitting up, the next, we're sticking together?"

"Yeah, about that..." The small, indigo figure scratched at the back of his helmet: if anything, he was more embarrassed than before. "I may have, uh... made a slight miscalculation..."

"One that nearly got you killed. Great job, bonehead." Red shook his head with exasperation.

Glitch scowled. That rankled. "Hey, if you think you had a better idea than the certified genius, then go ahead. Enlighten us."

"You better check that attitude, mister." Red countered, his voice turning cold.

"Or what?" The young boy snarled scornfully, rounding on the older man with a fury burning in his eyes. "You're gonna put me on the 'naughty step'? Oh wait, you can't. You're not my dad."

Red recoiled slightly from that, then turned his head away, giving a heavy, careworn sigh. "I knew I shouldn't have let you on the team. If you could just _grow up_ -"

" _Guys!_ " The sudden bark brought the two out of their bitter feud, and they turned to find Blaize glaring, her gaze smouldering like hot coals. "When you two are _quite_ done with your sibling squabbles, we need a _plan_!"

Silence ruled, just the echoing fluttering and cooing of pigeons high over their heads and the static hiss of the streetlights on the pavement nearby. Red turned to look at Glitch, but the younger boy had folded his arms, his pouting face lost within the shadow of his visor. The leader shook his head.

"We're going to SFPDC. Hopefully, Gerson will be there, and he can help us sort out this mess." With a glance to all of his team members, he continued. "We'll go single file on the ground. I'll go in front, and Sabi, we need your blades at the rear."

"You got it, Red." The broad-shouldered man replied.

* * *

" _You did_ what _?" The tall woman towered over her younger companion._

" _So I blew up a bridge! What does it matter so long as we get wha' we wan'?" Neko argued, a look of mild annoyance twitching in her brow as she took a drag of her cigarette. Suki looked positively murderous._

" _I gave strict orders not to kill. If you cannot follow them, then I'm sure I can find another girl who can."_

 _Neko looked up, met the furious gaze for a second, then chuckled to herself. "Can ya find anuvva genius? You need me."_

 _Suki rubbed the heel of her hand over her eyes, letting out a loud, long-suffering sigh, leaning back into the chair with an air of defeat. "I'm serious, Neko. We need them alive if the plan is to work out. If it doesn't... you know what happens."_

" _Not my problem," The young girl shrugged, though she quickly reconsidered as Suki flew to her feet, one paddle-like hand raised. "aw'right, aw'right, fine. Keep yer knickers on. No more killin', I swear it."_

 _Suki considered her for a second, then nodded, satisfied, if barely. "You're gonna be the death of me, kid."_

 _Neko grinned. "You know it."_

* * *

The team were silent as they moved through the back streets, down dark side-alleys and through damp and dingy underpasses. They passed through cities of waste bins and refuse, galleries of graffiti and seas of grey water that pooled in blocked drains. Places hard to find, hard to get to, and hardly known about. If it wasn't for the digital mapping built in to Red's helmet, they wouldn't have been sure of the way. At some point, Zilla began to chant an endless, random scattering of words to fill the sullen silence.

Finally, when he could stand the singing no more, Sabi flipped up his microphone (for he, unlike the others, didn't wear a helmet, just a protective visor and headset) and reached out to touch Glitch on the shoulder. The boy hardly responded.

"Hey... he didn't mean it, you know: what he said"

"He still said it." The boy's shoulders hunched unhappily.

Sabi looked up, to where Red was continuing to plough onwards, never stopping. "He's regretting it. Every word. You know he is."

"Good. He should."

"And you aren't?" Glitch went silent, and Sabi knew immediately what they teen was thinking. "Hiro, come on. You can't stay mad at him forever."

Hiro Hamada scowled at the mention of his true name. "Watch me," He snarled, and ended the conversation.

* * *

 _Reviews:_

 _Anon: Thanks a lot! I was just thinking 'what kind of weapons have I never seen before?' and then boom. Compressed air cannon. So that happened haha_

 _shooting2stars: Yup! Not gonna leave you hanging! Neko is such a drama queen; a bit like Hiro, really. No Problems! Glad you enjoyed!_

 _UPDATES ON MONDAYS (In case you hadn't already guessed)_


	4. Feud

_**Flight for Freedom**_

 _Chapter 4: Feud_

* * *

 _'How did we get here  
When I used to know you so well?  
How did we get here?  
Well, I think I know'_

 _Paramore – Decode (2008)_

* * *

Red halted at the alley entrance, observing the intersection, looking left and right. Beyond him, the road was oddly quiet and empty: only a single, solitary car passed slowly by. The leader waited patiently until the tail-lights had disappeared into the distance, then stepped out into the neon yellow light. Blaize brushed past his shoulder, impatient as ever, striding straight towards the doors of the police station.

The building was magnificent, stylishly angular and antique, a clean mixture of red and white brick highlighted in welcoming spotlights. The grand entrance loomed above the street, a dome-like clock tower at its very head, capped in green copper, and although the building was so much smaller than its tall, glass neighbours, it still caught the eye in a way that only such a high calibre structure could. So clean, so orderly: a welcome sight.

Red touched each team member's shoulder as they passed, taking an internal register. _Blaize, Zilla, Chem..._ _Glitch, who is still in a strop..._ He frowned as the young boy stalked past him, spiky, untouchable. The young man sighed, shaking his head ever-so-slightly as he turned back to count the last member of his team, only to find that the alley entrance was empty.

The young man paused for a second, just to be sure, then glanced the other way, towards his team, in case he was so preoccupied that he completely missed Sabi as he passed. However, surely enough, The hero had counted correctly: his teammate was nowhere to be seen.

"Sabi?" He called, pacing tentatively back to the entrance of the alleyway and peering down it, but all that lay before him were shadows and mountains of drifting rubbish. The whole team froze as their leader span about to face them. His gaze snapped instantly to his younger brother. "Glitch, what happened? Where's Sabi?"

The boy looked just as bewildered as the others. "I-I don't know! He was right behind me!"

"You didn't hear anything?"

"Nothing," Glitch shook his head hopelessly. Red growled in annoyance, turning away again. "It's not my fault!" His brother's voice rose with fury. The boy's lower lip began to tremble indignantly, but Red ignored it. There was no time.

"I'm going back for him. You guys go get help."

Glitch stood dumbfounded as his brother turned and lifted off, rocketing up the face of one of the buildings, then angling himself and disappearing above the roofs. Almost immediately, the boy genius began to fiddle with the controls on his glove. For him, his brother's harsh words weren't just an annoyance; they were a challenge.

"C'mon, Glitch," Chem tried to persuade him, as though she could already see what was going through his mind, "Let's get to the station and get Gerson involved. I'm sure he can help to sort this out..."

Glitch turned his shoulder to her, more concerned with the schematics flashing across his visor display. "Red doesn't think I should be on the team."

A horrified look crossed the tall woman's face. "He doesn't think that at all!" She simpered hopelessly.

"He said it himself," Glitch replied coldly. "You were there." It was even worse that he sounded as though he believed it.

Blaize stepped forward, eyebrow raised. "Don't be an idiot, Glitch. You have nothing to prove!"

Glitch rounded on them both in a fury, face contorted with rage. "You just think I'm useless, don't you? All of you do! Well, this team was _my_ idea in the first place!" His tone became cold and frighteningly quiet. "I'm going out to find Sabi without Red, and then I'll prove to him once and for all that I don't need him, or any of you. I'm better off alone."

Before any of the team could say a word, the young boy turned on his heel and stalked into the darkness.

* * *

"Red, we've got a slight problem. Again." Blaize's voice crackled slightly through the intercom, and Red sighed to himself as he scoured the streets from the air, not halting his search.

"What is it?" He sounded careworn and tired, more so than he would have liked. The leader almost knew what was coming.

"Glitch has run off into the city. He's looking for Sabi." Here, the woman in yellow paused for a second, choosing her words carefully. "We... tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen. I'm sorry."

Even though the man had braced himself for the worst, the news still sent a fresh wave of dread washing through him. He let out a great, heavy sigh before replying. "It's okay. Just go to the police station: I'll find them both."

Glitch splashed through a side-alley full of sulfurous-smelling water, his face a stone mask of cold determination. In the corner of his eye, the display flashed, the little red dot indicating that his friend was nearby. He followed the little map religiously, never slowing, never stopping. The boy's gut churned with fury and uncertainty. His heart yearned to turn back, yet his stubborn mind refused. Glitch knew he couldn't return until he'd made his point, until he'd proven that he was capable of being part of the team.

A part of him was scared, that was for sure. This was dangerous; the city was crawling with Fujitas, prowling on their skates, just waiting to scoop up an unwitting hero, just like they had his teammate. He didn't even have the others to watch his back. The rational part of his brain screamed _what were you thinking? What are you even going to do? This is your stupidest idea yet!_ Funny, he found himself scoffing, the rational part of his brain sounded a lot like his older brother.

Almost there. The red dot flashed just around the corner. Strange that it seemed to have stopped moving.

Silently, Glitch pressed himself into the shadows, creeping carefully among forests of litter bins, his back to the wall. Heart in his mouth, the boy paused, braced himself, then peered around the corner.

Nothing. There was nothing there. Careful to stay concealed, the boy crept further round the building, just checking, making sure. But, surely enough, the alley was empty. Muttering to himself, the boy slid out of the shadows and flipped up his visor to investigate further, closely peering around the aluminium bins and under plastic crates full of glass bottles.

In some places on the dull, water-logged concrete, flecks of turquoise paint were barely visible, scratched off something as it was dragged through. Glitch knew exactly what it was. Sabi had been here. The question was; where was he now?

More investigations brought the young boy to a cluster of bins, behind which a dim red light blinked on and off to the pulse of the mark on his visor map. Surely, Sabi couldn't be in there; they were too close to the wall. However, there was no mistaking the tracker flash. Cautiously, Glitch leaned over the foetid heaps and reached down, clasping a small, oddly warm object and carefully drawing it out into the light. As soon as he saw the curved plate, he knew his search, and his brother's, were in vain. Tracing the criss-crossing wires on the back of the turquoise carbon-composite with his finger, his shoulders drooped, head falling towards his chest. That was it. Sabi was gone.

The roar of rocket thrusters barely registered, yet when the voice they belonged to spoke out, Glitch had to turn and face the consequences.

"Glitch! Are you okay? What do you think you're doing out here?" Red raced towards him, the mechanics in his suit whirring and grinding, metal footsteps impossibly loud in the still, silent air. He halted a meter away, registering the piteous look on his little brother's face. "What? What is it?"

"He's gone," The boy held out the circuit board, letting his sibling take and examine it closely.

"Sabi's tracker. How did they know how to get it out?" Red searched Glitch for any sign of emotion, but the boy simply shrugged his shoulders blankly. The team leader rubbed the back of his neck with obvious discomfort, then, slowly, he reached up and removed his helmet, facing his brother properly.

"Look, Hiro... I think I owe you an apology." Tadashi stroked his long, angular chin, a soft look in his mahogany-brown eyes. "I'm sorry for what I said earlier. I didn't mean it."

Hiro's eyes shone as he met his brother's gaze, just for a moment, but he stayed silent. His lower lip trembled.

The older boy ran a hand through his clipped black hair, continuing carefully. "Look, you don't have to prove yourself, okay? Not to me or anyone else. You're a credit to the team; I just worry about you."

Hiro's eyes fluttered around his surroundings, searching for something to say, but his tongue had turned to concrete under his brother's sorry gaze. The boy adjusted one of his shoulder pads irritably, the motion serving as a distraction until Tadashi reached forward and stilled his hand.

"Hiro, please. We can't keep fighting like this." His gaze held a deep sadness, painful to look at, but Hiro forced himself to meet it, gripping his older brother's arm.

"We're not fighting."

"You forgive me?" Hope, flashing in those deep brown eyes.

Glitch was about to reply, but something caught his eye, looming from the shadows, and all of a sudden, he snatched a frenzied grip on his sibling's armour, pulling Red forward, hard. The movement was just in time to miss the swipe of a Fujita's weapon, and wild enough to heave his older brother down on top of himself. While Red snapped his helmet back into place in a frenzy, struggling to get his legs to cooperate, Glitch reached around his sibling's broad shoulder, setting off an electro-magnetic pulse strong enough to throw their assailant's katana high into the air.

"Great job!" Red praised, regaining his feet.

Ducking from the spinning blade, the lone Fujita woman had no time to brace as Red turned his air-cannon on her, catapulting her into the wall of the alleyway, knocking her out cold. However, shouts echoed and footsteps clattered from all around, filling the air with a frantic cacophony that drove the two brothers together. The leader snatched a firm hold around his teammate's waist, rockets firing, carrying them up and up into the air, past the roofs and beyond the reach of the howling Fujitas below.

* * *

 _Short chapter, late chapter, little ball of guilt... Well, I'm sorry, but at least these two made up. (Gravity Falls has me sidetracked right now, so I'm sorry, but gimme a bit of leeway and I'll deliver for sure!) Don't forget to review, I appreciate constructive critisism!_


	5. HIATUS NOTE

_**Flight for Freedom**_

 _Hiatus Note_

* * *

 _Hello, my dear readers. It is with a heavy heart that I have to do this, but do it, I must. Flight for Freedom has to go on hiatus, and may never be finished at all. But, before you start worrying yourselves, it's nothing to do with you. No, Anon, you didn't scare or intimidate me with your suggestions; quite the opposite, I appreciated them a lot and have learnt from them and from paying attention to them. My readers have been nothing but supportive and engaged._

 _So what is the reason? Well, simply because Big Hero 6 came out in my country roughly 11 months ago, and I feel that 11 months is a long time to be as obsessed with it as I was! I have recently been swept up with great gusto by the hype surrounding the Gravity Falls finale, and along with the workload being put on my by my university course, I just haven't had the time, energy or excitement to sit down and write, re-write, read and re-read a piece of writing for a project that I have lost interest in. I have left Big Hero 6 behind, for now, at least._

 _Rest assured, however, it may not be forever, and I will come back to this story if every I have the urge. You may yet find out what happens next!_

 _Thank you all for sticking with me for all this time. Your support is more than just appreciated. It is treasured._

 _Adieu._

 _~Dissidia180_


End file.
